Bridging the Gap: Extrusion Technology Transforms Soy Processing in Africa
Soybeans, a major protein source, have been increasingly cultivated and processed across Africa to serve both as food and feed. Unlike major soybean-producing regions like North and South America, where large-scale solvent extraction operations dominate oil extraction for food, biofuel, and the production of soybean meal for animal feed, African processing is mostly done mechanically by small-scale farmers with greater emphasis on pressing for oil or direct utilization of whole beans for food and feed.
Soybean farming in Africa faces several key challenges, including access to quality inputs, inadequate infrastructure, climate change impacts, and limited access to finance. These factors contribute to low yields and hinder the continent’s ability to fully capitalize on the global demand for soybeans.
While animal feed is a growing sector in Africa, a large proportion of soybeans, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, is directly consumed by humans. This is done in the form of traditional foods, fortified flour, and milk substitutes.
Africa, being a developing continent, still has technological setbacks in the production and processing of soybeans. Production is mostly done by small farmers with limited capital investment often resulting in shortages on the local market. Processing, on the other hand, is mostly done traditionally using obsolete methods such as roasters and inefficient presses/expellers to squeeze out the oil. These techniques are generally not efficient and often result in low-quality soybean meal.
Insta-Pro saw these challenges faced by processors and rose to the occasion, providing solutions through its extrusion technology. This technology bridges the gap and provides excellent-quality food and feed. Soybeans must be properly processed through a high-temperature, short-time process to effectively deactivate anti-nutritional factors, making them safer and more digestible for human and animal consumption.
Insta-Pro equipment can process whole beans into various ingredients, including full-fat soy, ExPress® soy meal, soybean oil, corn soy blend, textured soy protein, and partially defatted soy flour. Insta-Pro offers equipment that can process as low as 400 kg per hour, scalable to meet the customer’s desired capacity requirements. This takes into consideration both small- and large-scale processors.
By providing a more efficient and effective method for processing soybeans for customers, Insta-Pro extrusion technology helps to maximize nutritional potential, reducing waste and improving food and feed security in Africa. Insta-Pro has been able to address this key need in the market by making high-value soybean-based food and animal feed available in Africa through its customers who have embraced Insta-Pro processing technology.
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